Pepperell Planning Board weighs 40R smart growth district ahead of fall town meeting deadline

PEPPERELL — June 6, 2022 — Pepperell Planning Board moves toward 40R smart growth zoning with a June 21 decision deadline. The board heard a joint presentation from Chris Hayes of the Northern Middlesex Council of Governments and Ted Bravitz of Bravitz Planning and Consulting outlining four scenarios for merging a proposed mixed-use overlay district with a Chapter 40R smart growth overlay district along the Main Street and Groton Street corridor; a qualifying 40R district would bring the town up to $600,000 in upfront state incentive payments plus $3,000 per unit constructed. Hayes noted Pepperell has added no units to the state's subsidized housing inventory in at least nine years, leaving it vulnerable to unwanted 40B comprehensive permit applications. The board also unanimously continued a scenic road special permit hearing for Upswing Farm at 49-77 Brookline Street — where applicant Kevin Overshiner seeks to replace an overgrown stone wall with a reclaimed split-rail fence — to June 21, pending town counsel guidance on whether the wall sits on shared town-applicant property. Planning department staff separately announced a $200,000 MassDOT Shared Streets and Spaces grant to renovate Railroad Square and install high-visibility crosswalks on Main Street, with construction targeted for spring 2023.